8 Ways to Practice Nonviolent Communication

With a rapid pace of technological development across the globe, human relations are closer than ever. As people communicate with each other more frequently, it is more likely to have conflicts among them due to various reasons. Yet, there are also many ways to avoid conflicts throughout the process of communication.

Be calm

Before thinking about the actual content of communication, one must consider the tone and the body language of his speech, because nonverbal communication is more important than what a person says during the conversation.

The tone matters more because it is how people understand what someone means by the way he expresses himself with different intonations.

Be precise

Sometimes miscommunication happens when too much information is disclosed. When people miscommunicate, it creates different contexts within the same occasion. When one person misunderstands another, any kind intention may become provocative, which will then result in conflicts.

It is important to be precise while communicating, because clumsy expressions often result in bad communications. If someone can communicate precisely, it is more likely for people to understand each other.

Be sympathetic

Every person is a unique person. Even when two people are communicating with the same language, it is possible to have different interpretations due to different personal backgrounds.

When people express their negative feelings, they expect the listeners to show sympathies. This is a first step to avoid violent communications because everyone is emotional in some ways.

Be respectful

This is a free world which people can express themselves with their own ideas. While it is okay to disagree with someone, it has to be done in a respectful way.

For example, when disagreements arise, one must not attack the other person because it never ends up a nice way. Respecting each other is the key to communicate without violence.

Be patient

Communication takes time. As every person has his own way of communicating, it is not surprising to see that someone may talk slowly or take more time before getting to the point.

Be tolerant

Being able to communicate effectively also means that one must be tolerant in diversity. As mentioned above, people tend to focus on nonverbal means of communication instead of verbal means of communication.

If nothing else, tolerance is good enough to make sure nonviolent communication can take place instead of violent communication.

Be forgiving

It is easy to hold a grudge towards someone and be mad at him before starting a conversation. Yet, nonviolent communication can only take place if there is no pretext while talking to each other. Being forgiving is a powerful means to communicate with people without prejudice.

Be understanding

Above all, the best tip to practise nonviolent communication is to be understanding. There is always a story behind everyone, so it is not necessary to create conflicts while communicating with people. To be an understanding person, one must be able to put himself into someone else’s shoes before judging the others.

Communication is the most complicated subject in life. With that said, practising nonviolent